Ehud Krinis is a scholar of the Judeo-Arabic culture. His scholarly interests relates to the affinities and interactions between Judaism and Medieval Islam.
Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures Studies in Honour of Daniel J. Lasker, eds. Ehud Krinis, Nabih Bashir, Sara Offenberg, and Shalom Sadik, De Gruyter 2021, 2021
In his academic career, that by now spans six decades, Daniel J. Lasker distinguished himself by ... more In his academic career, that by now spans six decades, Daniel J. Lasker distinguished himself by the wide range of his scholarly interests. In the field of Jewish theology and philosophy he contributed significantly to the study of Rabbinic as well as Karaite authors. In the field of Jewish polemics his studies explore Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew texts, analyzing them in the context of their Christian and Muslim backgrounds. His contributions refer to a wide variety of authors who lived from the 9th century to the 18th century and beyond, in the Muslim East, in Muslim and Christian parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and in west and east Europe. This Festschrift for Daniel J. Lasker consists of four parts. The first highlights his academic career and scholarly achievements. In the three other parts, colleagues and students of Daniel J. Lasker offer their own findings and insights in topics strongly connected to his studies, namely, intersections of Jewish theology and Biblical exegesis with the Islamic and Christian cultures, as well as Jewish-Muslim and Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, this wide-scoped and rich volume offers significant contributions to a variety of topics in Jewish Studies.
The book provides the first in-depth study on Judah Halevi’s instrumental use of sceptical tactics in his wrestling with the dogmatic-rationalistic trends of the Arabic culture of his period (11th- 12th centuries). The Book's main claim is that in this historical context, Halevi made an original contribution by inserting sceptical argumentation to his formulation of a Fideistic response to the rationalistic interpretations of religion.
The first ever monographic study on the theological encounter of Judaism with Shīcism through an explorartion of Judah Halevi’s reliance on basic themes of Shīcism in the presentation of Judaism in his classical treatise, The Kuzari. The systematic formulation of the status of the People of Israel as the Chosen People of God stands at the heart of Judah Halevi’s famous theological and polemical treatise – the Kuzari.
The idea of the Chosen People is an ancient one and is deeply rooted in Judaism. Through a wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation, this book highlights the novel and systematic presentation of the Chosen People in the Kuzari and shows how Judah Halevi draws, in a creative manner, on terms, concepts, and themes borrowed from the Shī‘ī doctrine of the Imām as presented in Shī‘ī literature.
This book presents a historical perspective for understanding the basis of Judah Halevi’s attraction to Shī‘ī theology, with its unique category of God’s Chosen. The polemical argument over the issue of the legitimate successor to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate successor-group in medieval interreligious disputes, emerges as the historical background for the seemingly surprising link between the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi’s thought. This link on the one hand portrays Halevi as a bold, original thinker and, on the other, portrays the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful and reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
Reviews
"L'avantage de la démarche suivie par Krinis est de fournir un ouvrage au contenu très riche, qui intéressera aussi bien les spécialistes du judaïsme médiéval que les chercheurs dans le domaine chiite. Il faut saluer la profonde connaissance que l'auteur a des traditions juives et chiites. Ses analyses doctrinales, appuyées par de nombreuses citations, sont minutieuses, précises et nuancées." (Daniel De Smet, dans: Studia Islamica, 109 (2014), p. 333-337)
"(...) the present book is an informative addition to a series of studies that are exploring in increasing detail the conditions of the intercultural entanglements of families of faith within pre-modern Abrahamic monotheism (...)" (Nader El-Bizri , in: Journal of Islamic Studies, 26.2, May 2015, p. 208-211)
"There are several aspects of the book that make it important for students of religion in general and Jewish Studies in particular." (Norman Simms, in: Parergon, 31.2, 2014, p. 227-228)
“This is a magnificent work of scholarship, the most comprehensive and bold project to date of situating Judah Halevi’s Kuzari within its context in Islamic civilization (…) This detailed work of scholarship should be studied and pondered slowly and carefully for its depth and richness. It is essential reading for students of Halevi and all those fascinated by the intertwined nexus of medieval Jewish and Islamic thought.” (Diana Lobel, in the Journal of Semitic Studies, 61/2, 2016.10)
« Ehud Krinis y déploie une connaissance remarquable des sources primaires (aussi bien juives que musulmanes et plus singulièrement shiʿites) et des études secondaires de toutes sortes. Le sujet qu’il traite (…) il le problématise magistralement à nouveaux frais en ouvrant de nouvelles et importantes pistes de recherche. Son remarquable livre (…) renouvellent magistralement notre connaissance de l’influence de la pensée et des doctrines shiʿites dans divers milieux intellectuels et spirituels de l’Espagne musulmane. » (Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, in Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 43, 2016, p. 392-393)
Religious and Intellectual Diversity in the Islamicate World and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Sarah Stroumsa, eds. Omer Michaelis and Sabine Schmidtke (Brill: Leiden, 2024), pp. 256-265, 2024
In his study "The Law of Reason in the 'Kuzari'" Leo Strauss states that Judah Halevi's Kuzari is... more In his study "The Law of Reason in the 'Kuzari'" Leo Strauss states that Judah Halevi's Kuzari is primarily a defense of Judaism as a revealed religion against Philosophy. Furthermore, according to Strauss's interpretation, Halevi bases his claim that only the Jewish nation and law are eternal on his belief that the Jewish religion is the only true revealed religion. From another perspective, Strauss hints in his study to the relevance of applying the rules of the esoteric art of writing of philosophical texts to the interpretation of the Kuzari. Shlomo Pines, in his direct criticism of Strauss's study, as well as in his own studies, confronts Strauss's interpretation of the Kuzari and its main assumptions. Pines further presents an alternative interpretation of the Kuzari, claiming that in his efforts to define and defend Israel's uniqueness and eternalness, Halevi did not recourse to the notions of divine revelation and divine laws, but to hierarchical and meta-historical notions typical of the Shīʿī theology. In this article I’m trying to reinforce Pines’s interpretation of the Kuzari. I'll also add an historical perspective, seeking to explain why is it that unlike Pines, Strauss, as well as many other scholars, stick to the philosophy-centered interpretation of Judah Halevi's work
A draft in Hebrew of the second part of a book I hope to publish in English in the future, provis... more A draft in Hebrew of the second part of a book I hope to publish in English in the future, provisionally titled: 'God’s Personal-Inward Worship - Baḥya Ibn Paquda’s "Duties of the Heart" and the Islamic Zuhd Tradition'
Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures Studies in Honour of Daniel J. Lasker, eds. Ehud Krinis, Nabih Bashir, Sara Offenberg, and Shalom Sadik, 2021
The examination of Abraham bar Ḥiyya’s elaboration of the term ‘the pure soul’ (ha-neshamah ha-ṭe... more The examination of Abraham bar Ḥiyya’s elaboration of the term ‘the pure soul’ (ha-neshamah ha-ṭehorah) in his treatise Megillat ha-Megalleh (Scroll of the Revealer) serves as a test-case for a basic argument: when studying the appropriation of Neoplatonic notions by Muslim and Jewish innovative authors and circles (in al-Andalus in particular), great interest lie in the encounter of the Hellenistic worldview with the Apocalyptic and Messianic tendencies prevailing in the Muslim (especially Shīʿī) and Jewish traditions, yet foreign to the Hellenistic-Neoplatonic one. As a result of this historical encounter, Neoplatonism was put to work at the service of the strong Apocalyptic tendencies of some Andalusi writers, among which Abraham bar Ḥiyya stands as a good example.
So far Jewish-Shīʿī Studies have failed to receive clear and wide recognition from the community ... more So far Jewish-Shīʿī Studies have failed to receive clear and wide recognition from the community of scholars of both Jewish and Shīʿī Studies. In an effort to substantiate the case for clearer and wider scholarly recognition of Jewish-Shīʿī Studies, the present article provides a survey of the state of art of these studies, especially regarding the period of the 1st /7th-7th/13th centuries. While the survey testifies to the diversity and the manifold directions included in this field of studies, the article also addresses the question of what can be considered the unique features in Jewish-Shīʿī affinities.
The article “Halevi, Judah” as it appeared in The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition, Part 2... more The article “Halevi, Judah” as it appeared in The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition, Part 2018-1, pp. 63-68.
Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures Studies in Honour of Daniel J. Lasker, eds. Ehud Krinis, Nabih Bashir, Sara Offenberg, and Shalom Sadik, De Gruyter 2021, 2021
In his academic career, that by now spans six decades, Daniel J. Lasker distinguished himself by ... more In his academic career, that by now spans six decades, Daniel J. Lasker distinguished himself by the wide range of his scholarly interests. In the field of Jewish theology and philosophy he contributed significantly to the study of Rabbinic as well as Karaite authors. In the field of Jewish polemics his studies explore Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew texts, analyzing them in the context of their Christian and Muslim backgrounds. His contributions refer to a wide variety of authors who lived from the 9th century to the 18th century and beyond, in the Muslim East, in Muslim and Christian parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and in west and east Europe. This Festschrift for Daniel J. Lasker consists of four parts. The first highlights his academic career and scholarly achievements. In the three other parts, colleagues and students of Daniel J. Lasker offer their own findings and insights in topics strongly connected to his studies, namely, intersections of Jewish theology and Biblical exegesis with the Islamic and Christian cultures, as well as Jewish-Muslim and Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, this wide-scoped and rich volume offers significant contributions to a variety of topics in Jewish Studies.
The book provides the first in-depth study on Judah Halevi’s instrumental use of sceptical tactics in his wrestling with the dogmatic-rationalistic trends of the Arabic culture of his period (11th- 12th centuries). The Book's main claim is that in this historical context, Halevi made an original contribution by inserting sceptical argumentation to his formulation of a Fideistic response to the rationalistic interpretations of religion.
The first ever monographic study on the theological encounter of Judaism with Shīcism through an explorartion of Judah Halevi’s reliance on basic themes of Shīcism in the presentation of Judaism in his classical treatise, The Kuzari. The systematic formulation of the status of the People of Israel as the Chosen People of God stands at the heart of Judah Halevi’s famous theological and polemical treatise – the Kuzari.
The idea of the Chosen People is an ancient one and is deeply rooted in Judaism. Through a wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation, this book highlights the novel and systematic presentation of the Chosen People in the Kuzari and shows how Judah Halevi draws, in a creative manner, on terms, concepts, and themes borrowed from the Shī‘ī doctrine of the Imām as presented in Shī‘ī literature.
This book presents a historical perspective for understanding the basis of Judah Halevi’s attraction to Shī‘ī theology, with its unique category of God’s Chosen. The polemical argument over the issue of the legitimate successor to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate successor-group in medieval interreligious disputes, emerges as the historical background for the seemingly surprising link between the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi’s thought. This link on the one hand portrays Halevi as a bold, original thinker and, on the other, portrays the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful and reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
Reviews
"L'avantage de la démarche suivie par Krinis est de fournir un ouvrage au contenu très riche, qui intéressera aussi bien les spécialistes du judaïsme médiéval que les chercheurs dans le domaine chiite. Il faut saluer la profonde connaissance que l'auteur a des traditions juives et chiites. Ses analyses doctrinales, appuyées par de nombreuses citations, sont minutieuses, précises et nuancées." (Daniel De Smet, dans: Studia Islamica, 109 (2014), p. 333-337)
"(...) the present book is an informative addition to a series of studies that are exploring in increasing detail the conditions of the intercultural entanglements of families of faith within pre-modern Abrahamic monotheism (...)" (Nader El-Bizri , in: Journal of Islamic Studies, 26.2, May 2015, p. 208-211)
"There are several aspects of the book that make it important for students of religion in general and Jewish Studies in particular." (Norman Simms, in: Parergon, 31.2, 2014, p. 227-228)
“This is a magnificent work of scholarship, the most comprehensive and bold project to date of situating Judah Halevi’s Kuzari within its context in Islamic civilization (…) This detailed work of scholarship should be studied and pondered slowly and carefully for its depth and richness. It is essential reading for students of Halevi and all those fascinated by the intertwined nexus of medieval Jewish and Islamic thought.” (Diana Lobel, in the Journal of Semitic Studies, 61/2, 2016.10)
« Ehud Krinis y déploie une connaissance remarquable des sources primaires (aussi bien juives que musulmanes et plus singulièrement shiʿites) et des études secondaires de toutes sortes. Le sujet qu’il traite (…) il le problématise magistralement à nouveaux frais en ouvrant de nouvelles et importantes pistes de recherche. Son remarquable livre (…) renouvellent magistralement notre connaissance de l’influence de la pensée et des doctrines shiʿites dans divers milieux intellectuels et spirituels de l’Espagne musulmane. » (Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, in Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 43, 2016, p. 392-393)
Religious and Intellectual Diversity in the Islamicate World and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Sarah Stroumsa, eds. Omer Michaelis and Sabine Schmidtke (Brill: Leiden, 2024), pp. 256-265, 2024
In his study "The Law of Reason in the 'Kuzari'" Leo Strauss states that Judah Halevi's Kuzari is... more In his study "The Law of Reason in the 'Kuzari'" Leo Strauss states that Judah Halevi's Kuzari is primarily a defense of Judaism as a revealed religion against Philosophy. Furthermore, according to Strauss's interpretation, Halevi bases his claim that only the Jewish nation and law are eternal on his belief that the Jewish religion is the only true revealed religion. From another perspective, Strauss hints in his study to the relevance of applying the rules of the esoteric art of writing of philosophical texts to the interpretation of the Kuzari. Shlomo Pines, in his direct criticism of Strauss's study, as well as in his own studies, confronts Strauss's interpretation of the Kuzari and its main assumptions. Pines further presents an alternative interpretation of the Kuzari, claiming that in his efforts to define and defend Israel's uniqueness and eternalness, Halevi did not recourse to the notions of divine revelation and divine laws, but to hierarchical and meta-historical notions typical of the Shīʿī theology. In this article I’m trying to reinforce Pines’s interpretation of the Kuzari. I'll also add an historical perspective, seeking to explain why is it that unlike Pines, Strauss, as well as many other scholars, stick to the philosophy-centered interpretation of Judah Halevi's work
A draft in Hebrew of the second part of a book I hope to publish in English in the future, provis... more A draft in Hebrew of the second part of a book I hope to publish in English in the future, provisionally titled: 'God’s Personal-Inward Worship - Baḥya Ibn Paquda’s "Duties of the Heart" and the Islamic Zuhd Tradition'
Polemical and Exegetical Polarities in Medieval Jewish Cultures Studies in Honour of Daniel J. Lasker, eds. Ehud Krinis, Nabih Bashir, Sara Offenberg, and Shalom Sadik, 2021
The examination of Abraham bar Ḥiyya’s elaboration of the term ‘the pure soul’ (ha-neshamah ha-ṭe... more The examination of Abraham bar Ḥiyya’s elaboration of the term ‘the pure soul’ (ha-neshamah ha-ṭehorah) in his treatise Megillat ha-Megalleh (Scroll of the Revealer) serves as a test-case for a basic argument: when studying the appropriation of Neoplatonic notions by Muslim and Jewish innovative authors and circles (in al-Andalus in particular), great interest lie in the encounter of the Hellenistic worldview with the Apocalyptic and Messianic tendencies prevailing in the Muslim (especially Shīʿī) and Jewish traditions, yet foreign to the Hellenistic-Neoplatonic one. As a result of this historical encounter, Neoplatonism was put to work at the service of the strong Apocalyptic tendencies of some Andalusi writers, among which Abraham bar Ḥiyya stands as a good example.
So far Jewish-Shīʿī Studies have failed to receive clear and wide recognition from the community ... more So far Jewish-Shīʿī Studies have failed to receive clear and wide recognition from the community of scholars of both Jewish and Shīʿī Studies. In an effort to substantiate the case for clearer and wider scholarly recognition of Jewish-Shīʿī Studies, the present article provides a survey of the state of art of these studies, especially regarding the period of the 1st /7th-7th/13th centuries. While the survey testifies to the diversity and the manifold directions included in this field of studies, the article also addresses the question of what can be considered the unique features in Jewish-Shīʿī affinities.
The article “Halevi, Judah” as it appeared in The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition, Part 2... more The article “Halevi, Judah” as it appeared in The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Third Edition, Part 2018-1, pp. 63-68.
The dissertation is the first book length study of the intellectual links between Judaism and Shi... more The dissertation is the first book length study of the intellectual links between Judaism and Shi‘ism in the Middle Ages. It is dedicated to Rabbi Judah Halevi's treatise al-Kitāb al-khazarī, (Book of the Kuzari), one of the most renowned and important treatises in Judeo-Arabic culture. This central treatise is a fascinating test-case instance of a Jewish writer drawing from Shī‘ī literary sources. At the core of his work, Judah Halevi examined the idea of the Chosen People. A wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation of the Judeo-Arabic text shows that the writer relies on terms and conceptions borrowed from the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine, in order to develop the principal motifs depicting the People of Israel as God's Chosen. Judah Halevi's inclination towards Shī‘ī literature seems to move upon the axis drawn between the central theme of Shī‘ī theology – the Imām doctrine - and the main idea of Halevi's thought – the idea of the Chosen People. Some of the terms, conceptions and structures characteristic of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and of the way in which Shī‘ī theology shape the status of the Prophets and Imāms as God's Chosen appear in Halevi's work in the theological context of shaping the status of Israel's progenitors and the People of Israel as God's Chosen.
This study also aims to present a certain historical perspective that enables us to understand the basis for Judah Halevi's interest in and attraction to Shī‘ī literature, with its unique category of God's Chosen. The polemic argument over the issue of the legitimate heir to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate heir-group in medieval inter-religious dispute, emerge as the relevant historical background for the seemingly surprising linkage between concepts and ideas of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi's thought. This linkage reflects Halevi as a bold, original thinker on the one hand, and the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful on the other – reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
This study is based on a comparative reading of a wide variety of Shī‘ī sources of the 8th – 11th centuries; treatises that represent the lines of development of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine in its two central trends– the Imāmī Shī‘a and the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. The study is further based upon the impressive progress made by the recent generation of researchers of Shi‘a trends, and it benefits from the recent considerable improvement in accessing Shi‘a's early literary sources.
"The dissertation is the first book length study of the intellectual links between Judaism and Sh... more "The dissertation is the first book length study of the intellectual links between Judaism and Shi‘ism in the Middle Ages. It is dedicated to Rabbi Judah Halevi's treatise al-Kitāb al-khazarī, (Book of the Kuzari), one of the most renowned and important treatises in Judeo-Arabic culture. This central treatise is a fascinating test-case instance of a Jewish writer drawing from Shī‘ī literary sources. At the core of his work, Judah Halevi examined the idea of the Chosen People. A wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation of the Judeo-Arabic text shows that the writer relies on terms and conceptions borrowed from the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine, in order to develop the principal motifs depicting the People of Israel as God's Chosen. Judah Halevi's inclination towards Shī‘ī literature seems to move upon the axis drawn between the central theme of Shī‘ī theology – the Imām doctrine - and the main idea of Halevi's thought – the idea of the Chosen People. Some of the terms, conceptions and structures characteristic of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and of the way in which Shī‘ī theology shape the status of the Prophets and Imāms as God's Chosen appear in Halevi's work in the theological context of shaping the status of Israel's progenitors and the People of Israel as God's Chosen.
"
מאז ומעולם המחשבה היהודית היתה מצויה בדיאלוג עם רעיונות ומושגים שמקורם בתרבויות אחרות. דיאלוג זה,... more מאז ומעולם המחשבה היהודית היתה מצויה בדיאלוג עם רעיונות ומושגים שמקורם בתרבויות אחרות. דיאלוג זה, שלעיתים היה פולמוסי ופעמים אחרות היה שיתופי, שינה את אופיו באופן מהותי לאור החלפת המשמרות בין האיסלאם לבין הנצרות במהלך ימי הביניים. אם עד המאה ה-13 הוגים יהודיים שחיו בארצות האיסלאם שלטו ללא עוררין בשיח של מחשבת ישראל, החל מהרנסאנס ההגמוניה עברה לידי הוגים שצמחו בקהילות היהודיות של אירופה. וכך, מהמאה ה 18 ”ואילך המושג מחשבה יהודית מודרנית“ הפך לשם נרדף להגות שנכתבה בעיקר במרכז אירופה, ובעיקר על ידי הוגים דוברי גרמנית. כחלק מתהליך זה, מורשתם של ענקי מחשבה כדוגמת הרמב”ם, רבי יהודה הלוי, שלמה אבן גבירול, רבי יוסף אלבו ואחרים, הפכה למושא מחקר שנידון באספקלריה מערבית, תוך דחיקה של הקשרים תרבותיים והסטוריים הקשורים לסביבה המוסלמית בקירבה הוגים אלה חיו ויצרו, ותוך אדישות למורשתם של יורשיהם המודרניים בקהילות הספרדיות מצפון אפריקה במערב ועד לבבל במזרח. גישה זו ממשיכה לעצב במידה רבה את השיח במחשבת ישראל גם כיום, כשברקע עומדת התפיסה של “התנגשות הציוויליזציות” בין העולם המוסלמי לבין העולם היהודי-נוצרי. שלושת המרצים במושב יבקשו לבחון את המתח בין ההיקסמות ממחשבת ימי הביניים בקהילות ספרד לבין ההתעלמות ממורשתה הקשורה בסביבה המוסלמית בה התפתחה מהיבטים שונים. ד”ר אור שרף ידון בסתירה בין שאיפה לחשיבה אוניברסלית לבין היחס השנוי במחלוקת להוגים יהודיים ספרדיים במאה ה-20 בקרב הוגים יהודים-גרמניים, כגון פרנץ רוזנצווייג, יוליוס גוטמן וליאו שטראוס; ד”ר חנן חריף יבחן שאלות אלה באספקלריה של התופעה ההפוכה של “אוריינטליזם” (משיכה ואף הזדהות עם תרבות הערבית-מוסלמית) בקרב יהודים; וד”ר אהוד קריניס יעסוק בקשר שבין מעבר ההגמוניה התרבותית מהאיסלם לנצרות בימי הביניים לבין מקומה של הגות התרבות העברית-יהודית בשיח העכשווי.
Uploads
Books by Ehud Krinis
This Festschrift for Daniel J. Lasker consists of four parts. The first highlights his academic career and scholarly achievements. In the three other parts, colleagues and students of Daniel J. Lasker offer their own findings and insights in topics strongly connected to his studies, namely, intersections of Jewish theology and Biblical exegesis with the Islamic and Christian cultures, as well as Jewish-Muslim and Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, this wide-scoped and rich volume offers significant contributions to a variety of topics in Jewish Studies.
The book provides the first in-depth study on Judah Halevi’s instrumental use of sceptical tactics in his wrestling with the dogmatic-rationalistic trends of the Arabic culture of his period (11th- 12th centuries). The Book's main claim is that in this historical context, Halevi made an original contribution by inserting sceptical argumentation to his formulation of a Fideistic response to the rationalistic interpretations of religion.
The first ever monographic study on the theological encounter of Judaism with Shīcism through an explorartion of Judah Halevi’s reliance on basic themes of Shīcism in the presentation of Judaism in his classical treatise, The Kuzari.
The systematic formulation of the status of the People of Israel as the Chosen People of God stands at the heart of Judah Halevi’s famous theological and polemical treatise – the Kuzari.
The idea of the Chosen People is an ancient one and is deeply rooted in Judaism. Through a wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation, this book highlights the novel and systematic presentation of the Chosen People in the Kuzari and shows how Judah Halevi draws, in a creative manner, on terms, concepts, and themes borrowed from the Shī‘ī doctrine of the Imām as presented in Shī‘ī literature.
This book presents a historical perspective for understanding the basis of Judah Halevi’s attraction to Shī‘ī theology, with its unique category of God’s Chosen. The polemical argument over the issue of the legitimate successor to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate successor-group in medieval interreligious disputes, emerges as the historical background for the seemingly surprising link between the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi’s thought. This link on the one hand portrays Halevi as a bold, original thinker and, on the other, portrays the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful and reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
Reviews
"L'avantage de la démarche suivie par Krinis est de fournir un ouvrage au contenu très riche, qui intéressera aussi bien les spécialistes du judaïsme médiéval que les chercheurs dans le domaine chiite. Il faut saluer la profonde connaissance que l'auteur a des traditions juives et chiites. Ses analyses doctrinales, appuyées par de nombreuses citations, sont minutieuses, précises et nuancées." (Daniel De Smet, dans: Studia Islamica, 109 (2014), p. 333-337)
"(...) the present book is an informative addition to a series of studies that are exploring in increasing detail the conditions of the intercultural entanglements of families of faith within pre-modern Abrahamic monotheism (...)" (Nader El-Bizri , in: Journal of Islamic Studies, 26.2, May 2015, p. 208-211)
"There are several aspects of the book that make it important for students of religion in general and Jewish Studies in particular." (Norman Simms, in: Parergon, 31.2, 2014, p. 227-228)
“This is a magnificent work of scholarship, the most comprehensive and bold project to date of situating Judah Halevi’s Kuzari within its context in Islamic civilization (…) This detailed work of scholarship should be studied and pondered slowly and carefully for its depth and richness. It is essential reading for students of Halevi and all those fascinated by the intertwined nexus of medieval Jewish and Islamic thought.” (Diana Lobel, in the Journal of Semitic Studies, 61/2, 2016.10)
« Ehud Krinis y déploie une connaissance remarquable des sources primaires (aussi bien juives que musulmanes et plus singulièrement shiʿites) et des études secondaires de toutes sortes. Le sujet qu’il traite (…) il le problématise magistralement à nouveaux frais en ouvrant de nouvelles et importantes pistes de recherche. Son remarquable livre (…) renouvellent magistralement notre connaissance de l’influence de la pensée et des doctrines shiʿites dans divers milieux intellectuels et spirituels de l’Espagne musulmane. » (Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, in Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 43, 2016, p. 392-393)
Papers by Ehud Krinis
Shlomo Pines, in his direct criticism of Strauss's study, as well as in his own studies, confronts Strauss's interpretation of the Kuzari and its main assumptions. Pines further presents an alternative interpretation of the Kuzari, claiming that in his efforts to define and defend Israel's uniqueness and eternalness, Halevi did not recourse to the notions of divine revelation and divine laws, but to hierarchical and meta-historical notions typical of the Shīʿī theology.
In this article I’m trying to reinforce Pines’s interpretation of the Kuzari. I'll also add an historical perspective, seeking to explain why is it that unlike Pines, Strauss, as well as many other scholars, stick to the philosophy-centered interpretation of Judah Halevi's work
'God’s Personal-Inward Worship - Baḥya Ibn Paquda’s "Duties of the Heart" and the Islamic Zuhd Tradition'
This Festschrift for Daniel J. Lasker consists of four parts. The first highlights his academic career and scholarly achievements. In the three other parts, colleagues and students of Daniel J. Lasker offer their own findings and insights in topics strongly connected to his studies, namely, intersections of Jewish theology and Biblical exegesis with the Islamic and Christian cultures, as well as Jewish-Muslim and Jewish-Christian relations. Thus, this wide-scoped and rich volume offers significant contributions to a variety of topics in Jewish Studies.
The book provides the first in-depth study on Judah Halevi’s instrumental use of sceptical tactics in his wrestling with the dogmatic-rationalistic trends of the Arabic culture of his period (11th- 12th centuries). The Book's main claim is that in this historical context, Halevi made an original contribution by inserting sceptical argumentation to his formulation of a Fideistic response to the rationalistic interpretations of religion.
The first ever monographic study on the theological encounter of Judaism with Shīcism through an explorartion of Judah Halevi’s reliance on basic themes of Shīcism in the presentation of Judaism in his classical treatise, The Kuzari.
The systematic formulation of the status of the People of Israel as the Chosen People of God stands at the heart of Judah Halevi’s famous theological and polemical treatise – the Kuzari.
The idea of the Chosen People is an ancient one and is deeply rooted in Judaism. Through a wide-ranging textual and phenomenological investigation, this book highlights the novel and systematic presentation of the Chosen People in the Kuzari and shows how Judah Halevi draws, in a creative manner, on terms, concepts, and themes borrowed from the Shī‘ī doctrine of the Imām as presented in Shī‘ī literature.
This book presents a historical perspective for understanding the basis of Judah Halevi’s attraction to Shī‘ī theology, with its unique category of God’s Chosen. The polemical argument over the issue of the legitimate successor to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate successor-group in medieval interreligious disputes, emerges as the historical background for the seemingly surprising link between the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi’s thought. This link on the one hand portrays Halevi as a bold, original thinker and, on the other, portrays the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful and reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
Reviews
"L'avantage de la démarche suivie par Krinis est de fournir un ouvrage au contenu très riche, qui intéressera aussi bien les spécialistes du judaïsme médiéval que les chercheurs dans le domaine chiite. Il faut saluer la profonde connaissance que l'auteur a des traditions juives et chiites. Ses analyses doctrinales, appuyées par de nombreuses citations, sont minutieuses, précises et nuancées." (Daniel De Smet, dans: Studia Islamica, 109 (2014), p. 333-337)
"(...) the present book is an informative addition to a series of studies that are exploring in increasing detail the conditions of the intercultural entanglements of families of faith within pre-modern Abrahamic monotheism (...)" (Nader El-Bizri , in: Journal of Islamic Studies, 26.2, May 2015, p. 208-211)
"There are several aspects of the book that make it important for students of religion in general and Jewish Studies in particular." (Norman Simms, in: Parergon, 31.2, 2014, p. 227-228)
“This is a magnificent work of scholarship, the most comprehensive and bold project to date of situating Judah Halevi’s Kuzari within its context in Islamic civilization (…) This detailed work of scholarship should be studied and pondered slowly and carefully for its depth and richness. It is essential reading for students of Halevi and all those fascinated by the intertwined nexus of medieval Jewish and Islamic thought.” (Diana Lobel, in the Journal of Semitic Studies, 61/2, 2016.10)
« Ehud Krinis y déploie une connaissance remarquable des sources primaires (aussi bien juives que musulmanes et plus singulièrement shiʿites) et des études secondaires de toutes sortes. Le sujet qu’il traite (…) il le problématise magistralement à nouveaux frais en ouvrant de nouvelles et importantes pistes de recherche. Son remarquable livre (…) renouvellent magistralement notre connaissance de l’influence de la pensée et des doctrines shiʿites dans divers milieux intellectuels et spirituels de l’Espagne musulmane. » (Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, in Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, 43, 2016, p. 392-393)
Shlomo Pines, in his direct criticism of Strauss's study, as well as in his own studies, confronts Strauss's interpretation of the Kuzari and its main assumptions. Pines further presents an alternative interpretation of the Kuzari, claiming that in his efforts to define and defend Israel's uniqueness and eternalness, Halevi did not recourse to the notions of divine revelation and divine laws, but to hierarchical and meta-historical notions typical of the Shīʿī theology.
In this article I’m trying to reinforce Pines’s interpretation of the Kuzari. I'll also add an historical perspective, seeking to explain why is it that unlike Pines, Strauss, as well as many other scholars, stick to the philosophy-centered interpretation of Judah Halevi's work
'God’s Personal-Inward Worship - Baḥya Ibn Paquda’s "Duties of the Heart" and the Islamic Zuhd Tradition'
This study also aims to present a certain historical perspective that enables us to understand the basis for Judah Halevi's interest in and attraction to Shī‘ī literature, with its unique category of God's Chosen. The polemic argument over the issue of the legitimate heir to leadership in early Islam, as well as the debate around the legitimate heir-group in medieval inter-religious dispute, emerge as the relevant historical background for the seemingly surprising linkage between concepts and ideas of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine and the idea of the Chosen People in Judah Halevi's thought. This linkage reflects Halevi as a bold, original thinker on the one hand, and the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine as exceedingly fruitful on the other – reaching beyond the bounds of Islam.
This study is based on a comparative reading of a wide variety of Shī‘ī sources of the 8th – 11th centuries; treatises that represent the lines of development of the Shī‘ī Imām doctrine in its two central trends– the Imāmī Shī‘a and the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. The study is further based upon the impressive progress made by the recent generation of researchers of Shi‘a trends, and it benefits from the recent considerable improvement in accessing Shi‘a's early literary sources.
"
שלושת המרצים במושב יבקשו לבחון את המתח בין ההיקסמות ממחשבת ימי הביניים בקהילות ספרד לבין ההתעלמות ממורשתה הקשורה בסביבה המוסלמית בה התפתחה מהיבטים שונים. ד”ר אור שרף ידון בסתירה בין שאיפה לחשיבה אוניברסלית לבין היחס השנוי במחלוקת להוגים יהודיים ספרדיים במאה ה-20 בקרב הוגים יהודים-גרמניים, כגון פרנץ רוזנצווייג, יוליוס גוטמן וליאו שטראוס; ד”ר חנן חריף יבחן שאלות אלה באספקלריה של התופעה ההפוכה של “אוריינטליזם” (משיכה ואף הזדהות עם תרבות הערבית-מוסלמית) בקרב יהודים; וד”ר אהוד קריניס יעסוק בקשר שבין מעבר ההגמוניה התרבותית מהאיסלם לנצרות בימי הביניים לבין מקומה של הגות התרבות העברית-יהודית בשיח העכשווי.